Washing engine bay

[socalife]

I really want to wash my engine bay but im affraid that i might ruin something. Im gunna have it power washed by hand at the car wash, should i disconnect the battery or something?

[Jaxx_]

Many people say to never power wash the engine bay, but I do it anyway. In my experience it has had no repercussions as long as you're smart about it. For me: stay away from the dizzy, fuse box and other electrical things. Have your motor up to temperature, helps things dry faster. Avoid interconnects as well as obviously hot components(exhaust). Keep in mind that if you have oil leaks caused by bad gaskets, you could be introducing water into the crankcase. If your spark system is in poor condition you could be stuck at the car wash until things dry out, or limp it home with a miss or two.

Get the big stuff off with the power washer, but it isn't a tool to detail. Your balls will dictate how much you want to clean with the pressure washer. I've never tested the theory, but I'm fairly sure you can fuck shit up with a pressure washer.



This thread probably could be better in the cosmetic sub forum: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=101

[mitchlikesbikes]

if you have a cone filter, put a plastic bag over it. avoid directly spraying the alternator, fuse box, etc like the previous guy said.

also keep in mind these cars are old so you never know what that power washer is going to take off that you might not want it to (paint, undercoating, etc)

honestly my engine bay was filthy and i got it pretty damn clean with only degreaser and a solid garden hose attachment. much safer than a full on powerwasher and works adequately

[Dj Buttchug]

Have your motor up to temperature, helps things dry faster.

extremely bad idea

[HarukoE30]

extremely bad idea

Wouldn't that be like putting a hot pan under water...

[socalife]

Well for one, its an m50b25tu, and i have the battery in the engine bay. Also yeah i have a cone filter. Kinda worried i dunno :/

[rcsoundn1]

Shit people get worried using a garden hose! I use simple green or a degreaser and a hose. I prefer that but have been told to never even do that.

[e34john]

Just get foamy engine bright and some simple green. Set aside an afternoon and put a little effort into it instead of just blasting the entire thing. It will look even better after the detail.

Posted at the same time, but that guy ^ has the right idea.

[dewme5]

take along some WaterDisplacement-40. Get something to wet, and this will help make the electrons flow in the right direction again.

Most of what you are going after with a pressure washer, should be taken care of with a brush/scraper. Remove a few parts, gain good access to everything, then go at it with a decent engine bay cleaner.

Water on the hot engine.... So, these cars were never designed to drive through a puddle, or in the rain?

[lti_57]

I use purple power

http://www.clean-rite.com/purplepower_industrial_strength_cleaner_degreaser.html

You dont want to put this on a hot engine. it discolors the aluminum bits.
looks like crap.
you can buy at walmart

[flyboyx]

it would have been a good idea to take care of this before you put the engine in the car.

with that said, i can't tell you how many e30 engine bays i have cleaned with my pressure washer. i pretty much agree with everything jaxx_ said. i go to wall mart and buy about 4 cans of oven cleaner and a gallon of purple power. i spray the shit out of everything around the engine with the oven cleaner. you will want to keep this stuff off the paint in the engine bay as it will fuck it up. items related to body color or rubber products get the purple power. i let everything sit for 20 minutes and then i pressure wash the shit out of it keeping in mind the care needed for the items mentioned above. sometimes, i have to repeat the process 4 times to get it good and clean. i also believe it is a good idea to leave the engine running but avoid spraying water on the manifolds/exhaust.

if the engine quits on you and does not restart, take apart the ignition parts and dry them off with a rag. i guess you have a 24v engine so this probably won't apply to you.

[Mr. Tasty]

Do not use a power washer. Let the chemical clean and only use water to rinse them off.

[AndrewBird]

I have ALWAYS pressure washed the engine and have never had a problem. Water isn't going to hurt anything, the engine gets soaked every time it rains. It's pressure that might hurt things, so just don't hammer sensitive parts and you will be fine. If you get water in the distributor cap, just pull it off and wipe it out.

Nothing wrong with spraying a hot engine, it's not going to warp or crack like a cooking pan. We are talking about thick cast iron and aluminum, not thin pans.

[prasina2]

simple green, scrub brush with a long handle, garden hose with a short watering wand or a shower nozzle

The issue with pressure washers is that it forces water into areas or connectors etc that usually wouldn't get wet even in rainy weather.

If you've got dielectric grease in your connectors you should be ok, avoid spraying air intake, spark plugs, distributor, ecu

[pantelones]

i also believe it is a good idea to leave the engine running but avoid spraying water on the manifolds/exhaust.

You can't be serious?

Nothing wrong with spraying a hot engine, it's not going to warp or crack like a cooking pan. We are talking about thick cast iron and aluminum, not thin pans.

Huh? What is that really thin thing that holds the oil underneath the motor? I just can seem to remember...


I would not rinse down a hot engine.... The difference in cooling rates of the aluminum head to the cast iron block is enough to make me wait the extra hour or two for the motor to cool down a bit (Normalize in the heat treating world). Metal isn't real, and just because you don't see it move, crack, or stress, does not mean anything. The absence of evidence, is not the evidence of absence... NRD you should know this since you do machining and work with metal.

The real reason why you are not supposed to power-wash the engine in the bay is actually more so due the injector seals, bitch tube seals, and other little rubber bits that are brittle, and will be destroyed by the power-washer. Electrical components are fine as long as you are careful, but still should be avoided.


I power-washed my engine while out of the car, but I used soap and water to hand wash the bay (really wasn't dirty...)

IMG_4023 by Los Pantelones!, on Flickr



De-greaser and a some actual work will yield a better result than just blasting away with a pressure washer...